Scans of various items from my life and written about each day in 2011.
Check out my new hunger strike blog at:
www.daveshungerstrike.blogspot.com

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Social Network from Netflix (What would my status updates have been when I was a freshman?)

Facebook didn’t exist when I was in college.A few people I knew had email, and I remember my junior year being part of my first instant messaging experience.I made it through four years undergrad at Boston College and two years getting my Master’s at Wheelock College without even owning a computer.I know I am dating myself, but these are the facts.After recently watching The Social Network, I thought it might be amusing to see what would have been some of my status updates in my four years at Boston College…

Here are some that would have been entered for my first year followed by more thoughts about the movie – I tried as much as possible to use the correct dates for when everything actually happened using my medical records and internet searches…

August 31, 1992 2:07 PM – Just arrived at Gonzaga with my fam, it’s wicked hot out and I’m the only one in my room.I’m betting I’m the only one in my dorm who went through chemotherapy for a brain tumor this summer…

Dave McGrath is now friends with Patrick Salmon

September 2, 1992 7:34 PM – Met the new roommates and told one of them about my cancer.That was a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be…

September 4, 1992 11:32 AM – Off to UMass in “Woostah” for my sixth round of chemo, hope all the hot nurses are workin’ this weekend!

September 5, 1992 12:00 PM – May be in the hospital, but still watching the first BC Football game…GO EAGLES!!!

September 5, 1992 1:36 PM – Halftime of BC-“Rutgahs” and I’m being interviewed for the Worcester Telegram! (35 people like this)

September 6, 1992 8:04 PM – First day of school tomorrow…

September 8, 1992 1:15 PM – Some dude in my dorm didn’t believe me when I told him my pre-chemo senior prom picture was me. Ouch.Told him about the big “C” too…

September 8, 1992 3:16 PM Just saw the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in one of my psych classes…

September 10, 1992 1:55 PM – Just puked at The Rat into the garbage in front of everyone, that was fun…thanks for the help, Chris!

Dave McGrath is now friends with Tim St. Louis

September14 2:07 PM – Thought about preaching to a few cigarette smokers on campus, but kept my mouth shut…

April 18, 1993 6:45 – off to Walsh Hall to watch B’s playoff game against Sabres…go B’s!

April 18, 1993 10:40 PM – Ouch. Damn you, Sabres.

April 24, 1993 7:30 PM – B’s may get swept tonight, but I’m going to see My Mother’s Fleabag!

April 24, 1993 10:14 PM – B’s swept, but Fleabag was great and Amy Poehler stole the show!

April 25, 1993 4:12 PM – Just won a lip-synch contest with Tim St. Louis performing Denis Leary’s Asshole!Off to be Patrick’s confirmation sponsor…

April 30, 1993 8:43 PM – heading out to off campus “shin dig” with the buds…

May 1, 1993 2:15 PM – last night included: running away from my friends at the party, being picked up and handcuffed by BC cops, and taken to BC infirmary by BCPD…ugh

May 13, 1993 3:00 PM – Survived my first year at BC!!!

May 20, 1993 4:26 PM – Heading to Bull and Finch to watch last episode of Cheers on a big outdoor screen…psyched, but sad.

So, back to the Social Network/Facebook movie….

It was interesting, but definitely not a best picture.I love movies that are true stories, and was surprised I hadn’t found this Chasing the Frog website before. I always check out the IMDB Goofs after watching movies based on true stories, and this one had a few. But, I dug deeper to see what else I could find online relating to the true story of Facebook. Here are some of the things I found:

So, Mr. Zuckerberg, where does Facebook go from here?I’d like to have 7 billion friends.Can Facebook make everyone on earth friends with each other?If not, what’s the point?And for the Love of God, why can’t you make Facebook have the same music pages that Myspace does?